Packaging and application device

ABSTRACT

Packaging and application device ( 10 ), comprising: i. a container ( 11 ) containing a cosmetic product to be applied, ii. an applicator ( 12 ) for withdrawing the product contained in the container, comprising an application member ( 14 ) for applying the product, the container comprising a wiping member ( 20 ) for wiping the application member as it leaves the container, the wiping member comprising a flexible wiping lip ( 50 ) whose free edge defines an orifice for the application member to pass through, wherein the wiping lip deforms as the application member passes through the orifice, the wiping lip having in at least one transverse section at least two sectors which extend in angular fashion about the axis (X) of the orifice, and which are constituted of respective materials of different rigidities.

The present invention relates to devices for packaging and applying a product, in particular a cosmetic or care product, in particular a make-up product, comprising a container containing the product to be applied and an applicator which can be loaded with product by being immersed in the container.

Such devices are usually provided with a wiping member in order to adjust the quantity of product on the application member of the applicator when the latter is withdrawn from the container.

Various wiping members have been proposed in order in particular to adapt to the nature of the application member, the rheology of the product and the desired make-up result.

Thus, application document FR 2 888 097 proposes a wiping member made of two materials with an upper part serving for fixing the wiping member in the neck of the container and a lower part created from a different material, the lower part being more flexible than the upper part and comprising the wiping lip.

Publication document FR 2 888 097 further proposes creating the wiping lip with particular shapes such as waves or with slots, in order that it might deform more easily as the application member passes through.

However, it remains relatively difficult to vary the deformability of the wiping lip in order for example to adapt to different natures of application members.

EP 2 574 253 and DE 10 2008 053905 disclose wiping lips made in a single material.

The invention aims to further perfect the packaging and application devices and in particular the wiping members fitted to such devices, and achieves this with a packaging and application device comprising:

-   -   i. a container containing a cosmetic product to be applied,     -   ii. an applicator for withdrawing the product contained in the         container, comprising an application member for applying the         product,         the container comprising a wiping member for wiping the         application member as it leaves the container, the wiping member         comprising a flexible wiping lip whose free edge defines an         orifice for the application member to pass through, wherein the         wiping lip deforms as the application member passes through the         orifice, the wiping lip having in at least one transverse         section at least two sectors which extend in angular fashion         about the axis X of the orifice, and which are constituted of         respective materials of different rigidities.

The presence within the wiping lip of at least two sectors created from materials having different hardnesses makes it possible, depending on the arrangement of these sectors, to give the wiping lip more or less flexibility and thus to be able to adapt its deformability properties to the nature of the application member.

The wiping member preferably has an upper part created from the more rigid material, which may improve the holding of the wiping member on a neck of the container in which it is attached.

The one or more sectors of greater rigidity may occupy, in transverse section, a greater angular extent about the axis X of the wiping orifice at a height h₂ than at a height h₁, with h₂>h₁, the heights h₁ and h₂ being measured along the axis X from the orthogonal projection onto the vertical axis X of the free edge thereof, the wiping orifice being at the bottom. Indeed, it is preferable to have a more flexible part in contact with the applicator since the deformation of the wiping lip is desired in contact therewith.

The one or more sectors of greater rigidity preferably occupy, in at least one transverse section of the wiping lip, a total angular extent which is less than that occupied by the one or more other sectors, of lesser rigidity. This helps to increase the deformability of the wiping lip.

The wiping lip may have at least one sector created of an identical material, whose angular extent about the axis X, in transverse section, diminishes in the direction of the free edge of the wiping lip. Such a shape makes it possible to further reduce the overall rigidity of the wiping lip close to the wiping orifice.

The sectors made of different materials may extend as far as the free edge of the wiping lip. As a variant, the free edge of the wiping lip may be defined by an identical material only and preferably the less rigid material. The free edge comes into contact with the application member during wiping of the latter.

The wiping member may comprise a tubular skirt surrounding the wiping lip and coaxial therewith. The wiping orifice is for example located at the lower end of the wiping member, or as a variant is axially set back from the above-mentioned tubular skirt.

The wiping lip may have a shape which is convergent towards the wiping orifice, in particular generally conical or in the form of a dome. It is thus in particular possible to make it easier to pass through the wiping member when reinserting the applicator into the container.

The various sectors are preferably created by bi-injection of said materials or overmoulding of one material on the other.

The number of sectors made of the more rigid material is preferably between 2 and 5, in particular 3 or 4.

The sectors made of different materials are for example held securely by means of localized melting during manufacture by bi-injection or overmoulding. Preferably, there is created at least one mechanical attachment by matching shapes, with the aid of cooperating reliefs. This makes it possible to obtain reliable attachment even when the materials have chemical natures which make them difficult to join by melting.

One of the sectors may be constituted of an elastically deformable material, preferably a thermoplastic elastomer.

The material constituting the one or more sectors of lower rigidity is preferably chosen from among the elastomers, in particular the thermoplastic elastomers.

The material constituting the one or more sectors of greater rigidity is preferably chosen from among the polyolefins.

The difference in hardness between the more rigid material and the less rigid material is preferably at least 20 on a single Shore hardness scale.

The two materials of different rigidities may be from a same chemical family, which can facilitate recycling, or not.

These materials may have different colours.

Preferably, each sector extends over at least 0.5 mm of the circumference of the wiping lip.

In one exemplary embodiment, the container having a neck, the wiping member comprises an upper part provided with a flange which comes to bear against the upper section of this neck, and a lower part extending beyond the wiping lip towards the bottom of the container, the upper and lower parts being made of different materials and each in a single piece by moulding together with at least one of the sectors of the wiping lip.

The invention also relates to the wiping member, considered in isolation.

The invention may be better understood from reading the following detailed description of non-limiting implementation examples thereof and from examining the appended drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows, in a schematic partial axial view, an example of a packaging and application device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows, in isolation and in axial section, the wiping member of the device from FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a front view along III from FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 shows, in isolation and in axial section, the upper part of the wiping member from FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a front view along the arrow V in FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of a variant embodiment of the wiping member,

FIG. 7 is a front view along the arrow VII in FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a partial longitudinal section of a variant embodiment of the wiping member, and

FIG. 9 shows, in isolation and in perspective, another variant of the wiping member.

The packaging and application device 10 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a container 11 containing a product to be applied, for example a make-up or care product, and an applicator 12 comprising a stem 13 provided at one end with an application member 14 and at the other end with a gripping member (not shown) which may also constitute the closure cap of the container 11, being arranged so as to be attached to the neck 15 of the latter, in particular by screwing.

The container 11 comprises a wiping member 20 which is shown in isolation in FIG. 2 and which is attached in the neck 15. This wiping member 20 comprises an upper part 30 and a lower part 40 which are made of different materials, the upper part 30 being preferably made of a more rigid material than the lower part 40. The upper part 30 is advantageously provided, as shown, with a flange 31 at its upper end, coming to press against the end section 16 of the neck 15.

The wiping member 20 comprises a wiping lip 50 whose free edge 52 defines a wiping orifice 51, whose axis X coincides with the longitudinal axis of the neck 15 and advantageously also with the longitudinal axis of the body 17 of the container 11. Each of the parts 30 and 40 may, as shown, have beads 33 and 43 projecting slightly on their outer face, so as to contribute to the attachment, in particular by snap-fitting, of the wiping member in the neck 15 of the container.

The wiping member 20 may be created with a tubular skirt 48 which surrounds the wiping lip 50.

The wiping orifice 51 has for example a free edge 52 which is circular and whose diameter matches that of the stem 13 so as to be able to wipe off the product present on the latter when the applicator is withdrawn from the container 11.

In accordance with the invention, the wiping lip 50 is not made of the same material in its entirety.

The wiping lip 50 deforms as the application member 14 passes through, the latter possibly having an envelope surface E which, at at least one point along its length, is at a distance from the axis X that is greater than the radius of the orifice 51.

The application member 14 is for example a mascara brush, with a twisted core and bristles, which are attached or moulded in a single piece, of one or more plastic materials, a flocked end piece for lips or eyelids, a capillary retention end piece, an eyeliner tip, among other possibilities.

In the example shown, the wiping lip 50 has sectors 60 and 61 which alternate circumferentially about the axis X and which are respectively created, for the sectors 60, with the lower part 40 and, for the sectors 61, with the lower part 30.

In the example in question, these sectors 60 and 61 extend as far as the lower end 53 of the wiping lip 50. There are for example four of each of the sectors 60 and 61, wherein for example the angular extent about the axis X of each of the sectors 60 made of the less rigid material is greater than that of the sectors 61 made of the more rigid material. Thus, the sectors 61 act as stiffeners for the wiping lip 50 and, by varying the number and the shape of the sectors 61, it is easily possible to provide the wiping lip 50 with more or less rigidity without modifying either the diameter of the wiping orifice or the size of the wiping member.

In the example from FIGS. 1 to 5, the wiping lip 50 has a shape which is convergent, generally conical, towards the bottom of the container.

Reliefs may be created at the sectors 60 and 61 in order to strengthen the mechanical cohesion between these. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to create, at the end of the sectors 61, notches 66 by means of which the material of the sectors 60 can create an additional anchoring in the sectors 61.

It is also possible to create holes in the sectors 60 and/or 61, and to make the material of the other sectors engage in these holes such that it creates connections strengthening the mechanical cohesion of the sectors.

At the same height from the lower end 53 of the wiping lip 50, the sectors 60 and 61 may have the same thickness, measured radially, which may be constant over the entire circumference.

As a variant, the thickness may vary within a sector or between sectors.

Two adjacent sectors might not overlap in the radial direction, being for example joined along a radially oriented plane.

As a variant, two adjacent sectors might overlap, at least partially. In examples, the sectors made of more rigid material are located on a face or within an envelope of the less rigid material, which defines the remainder of the sectors and covers the more rigid sectors entirely, on the interior side or on the interior and exterior sides.

The invention is not restricted to a particular number of sectors and it is for example possible, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, to create the upper part 30 in a single piece with only three sectors 61 which are arranged at equal angular intervals about the axis X.

The invention is not limited to a wiping orifice 51 having a circular contour.

It is in particular possible to give the wiping lip 50 various shapes with a contour which is non-circular, for example oval, polygonal or another shape. By way of example, FIG. 8 shows a wiping member according to a variant of the invention, in which the sectors 60, 61 each have an undulating free edge. These undulations may allow the sectors to move apart as the wiping member is passed through, thus favouring an enlargement of the wiping orifice.

The undulations may consist of a sequence of depressions and/or projections formed by the sector along the circumferential direction. They may be bends of folds which are alternately concave and convex in the circumferential direction. Each undulation may extend, when the wiping member is viewed from above, along a radially oriented axis. All the axes of the undulations may intersect essentially at the centre of the wiping orifice.

In a variant which is not shown, the wiping lip 50 is provided with slots which may or may not be oriented radially, and may for example open essentially tangentially to the wiping orifice.

FIG. 9 shows the possibility for certain sectors, for example those 61 created with the upper part 30, not to extend as far as the wiping orifice 51. In this case, the sectors 60 created with the lower part 40 join together to form a single ring 68 whose free edge defines the wiping orifice 51.

The width of the sectors 61 may decrease in the direction of the wiping orifice 51, as shown in FIG. 9, the sectors 61 being for example in the form of generally triangular teeth.

FIG. 9 also shows that the wiping lip 50 may be in the general shape of a dome which is concave towards the opening of the container.

The wiping member may be created with sectors of a single material which are identical or different, for example with differing heights, shapes and/or thicknesses.

The wiping lip 50 may be continuous angularly all about the axis X or, as a variant, be interrupted by slots which may join up when at rest or have edges which do not join up when at rest. Preferably, two sectors made of different materials are in contact with one another.

Needless to say, the invention is not limited to the examples that have just been described.

In particular, it is possible to make still more modifications to the wiping member, and in particular to the shape of the wiping lip 50. The latter may define a wiping orifice in the form of a slot, for example for wiping an applicator having a flat stem. The wiping member may be single-stage, as shown, or, as a variant, multi-stage, and one of the stages may be created in accordance with the invention, the other stages having wiping lips made entirely of a single material. As a variant, at least two stages are created in accordance with the invention, with wiping lips having, over at least part of their height, sectors made of materials having different hardnesses.

The wiping member may moreover be what is termed a variable wiping member, with a movable part which, at rest, deforms the wiping lip to a greater or lesser degree and/or which limits to a greater or lesser degree its deformation when the application member passes through it, so as to vary the quantity of product carried by the application member.

Where relevant, one of the two parts of the wiping member is created by moulding in one piece with the remainder of the container or a part of the latter. In particular, the upper part of the wiping member may be constituted of the neck of the container, the lower part being formed by bi-injection or overmoulding, or attached to the neck.

At least part of the wiping member may be flocked. It is for example possible to flock all or some of the sectors created with one of its upper and lower parts, then to assemble the upper and lower parts, which are moulded separately, by adhesive bonding and/or welding and/or mechanical attachment.

At least one of the parts of the wiping member may comprise a filler designed to produce an effect on the product present on the application member.

It is possible to create the wiping member with more than two different materials, in which case the wiping lip can comprise at least three sectors made of three different materials.

The expression “comprising a” should be understood as being synonymous with “comprising at least one”. 

1. Packaging and application device, comprising: i. a container containing a cosmetic product to be applied, ii. an applicator for withdrawing the product contained in the container, comprising an application member for applying the product, the container comprising a wiping member for wiping the application member as it leaves the container, the wiping member comprising a flexible wiping lip whose free edge defines an orifice for the application member to pass through, wherein the wiping lip deforms as the application member passes through the orifice, the wiping lip having in at least one transverse section at least two sectors which extend in angular fashion about the axis of the orifice, and which are constituted of respective materials of different rigidities.
 2. Device according to claim 1, the wiping member having upper and lower parts created with said materials, the upper part being created with the more rigid material.
 3. Device according to claim 1, the one or more sectors of greater rigidity occupying, in at least one transverse section, a total angular extent about the axis which is less than that occupied by the one or more other sectors, of lesser rigidity, of the wiping lip.
 4. Device according to claim 1, the wiping lip having at least one sector created of an identical material, whose angular extent about the axis diminishes in the direction of the free edge of the wiping lip.
 5. Device according to claim 1, the sectors made of different materials extending as far as the free edge of the wiping lip.
 6. Device according to claim 1, the free edge of the wiping lip being defined by an identical material.
 7. Device according to claim 1, the wiping member comprising a tubular skirt surrounding the wiping lip.
 8. Device according to claim 1, the wiping orifice being located at the lower end of the wiping member.
 9. Device according to claim 1, the wiping lip having a shape which is convergent towards the wiping orifice.
 10. Device according to claim 1, one of the sectors being constituted of an elastically deformable material.
 11. Device according to claim 1, the various sectors being created by bi-injection moulding of said materials or overmoulding of one material on the other.
 12. Device according to claim 1, the number of sectors made of the more rigid material being between 2 and
 5. 13. Device according to claim 1, the various sectors being held securely by means of mechanical attachment, with the aid of cooperating reliefs.
 14. Device according to claim 1, said materials having different hardnesses having a difference in hardness of at least 20 on a single Shore hardness scale.
 15. Device according to claim 9, the wiping lip having a shape which is generally conical or in the form of a dome.
 16. Device according to claim 1, one of the sectors being constituted of a thermoplastic elastomer.
 17. Device according to claim 12, the number of sectors made of the more rigid material being 3 or
 4. 